Today’s Rabbit Hole ~ The Wenger family of New Orleans - related by marriage on my maternal side

 

Today I kind of went down a rabbit hole.  My genealogy friends know that is when you find one thing that leads to another and another. 

In this case, I was still kind of tying up loose ends for the GILLEN family I wrote about a couple of days ago.  Adding findagrave memorial numbers to my Legacy database and adding links to parents in the findagrave database as well.

That lead me to Silas Gillen’s wife’s family, the WENGERs.  Mathilde Wenger had a brother named Henry who was 2 years younger than her.  I had an approximate birth year for him and a findagrave number 23405138, but not much else.

 
I did have mention, in my research notes in Legacy, of an obituary I had located a couple of years ago on the Genealogy Bank website.

 
So, I went back to the website and lo and behold, found so much more. I located Henry's obituary, which included a picture of him.

Here is Henry Wenger’s obituary.

(Please click on any image to enlarge it)

Published in the New Orleans Item, 20 Sep 1912, page 3

It turns out that Henry, whom I found out was named Rudolph Henry at birth, was well known in the New Orleans area.  It seems his father, Henry Sr., had owned a saloon/dance hall.  Upon his death in 1896, his son, Henry Jr., took over ownership.

 
This dance hall/theatre was called the Trocadero and located at Burgundy & Iberville, in New Orleans.  As we know, New Orleans is known for the jazz halls, dance halls and music venues of all kinds.  I was unable to locate anything on Google in regards to a dance hall by the name Trocadero, but not for lack of trying.

Google map showing the intersection of Burgundy St. and Iberville St. where the Wenger dance hall/theater was located.  It is very near Bourbon St.

I also learned that there was another sibling in this Wenger family, named William F. born in 1862. He sadly died at age 49 in 1911.

Published in Times-Picayune, 13 Aug 1911, page 9

I was able to continue searching and located Henry’s death record on familysearch.org.  He died of acute uremia and, as I read it, enterocolitis.

Given the ages of death of her brothers, 49 and 56, Mathilde was fortunate to live to age 77. I wonder if she missed her younger brothers as she went on in life?  It would have been a sad couple of years for her, losing them both a year apart.

You can visit Henry Wenger’s memorial on findagrave here #23405138

For now, I will stop my research on the Wenger family.  I generally stay pretty close to my tree and don’t go off on wild chases of the 1st cousin 4 times removed's wife's brother.  But, in this case I found it an interesting journey. And, sometimes it's just plain fun.
 
If you have any information to add to what I’ve found, I’d be happy to hear from you.
 
If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2022   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION
 

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Richard Lindsay to become Grand Patriarch of the Odd Fellows organization - 1914

Another in my series of news articles about my paternal great granduncle, Richard Lindsay (1862-1927).

Here are the other blog posts written about Richard Lindsay, so far.  My blogging has taken a hit during this Covid-19 situation.  It’s been difficult to focus and do any research or writing.  Instead, I’ve been cleaning and organizing various areas in my house. Have any of you found it difficult to conduct your research as well?  Or, have you been able to do more?

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Will a sprig of heather from South Africa bring victory to Richard Lindsay at the polls?

FOLLOW UP FRIDAY ~ Did my great granduncle, Richard Lindsay, win that election I wrote about last month?

This particular news article is about a meeting of the Odd Fellows organization.  The meeting took place in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan in May 1914.

I wondered what exactly was the Odd Fellows?  Are they similar to Masons?  I know that Richard Lindsay belonged to both organizations, as mentioned in other articles about him and his obituary.

I used our friend Goggle and found this Wikipedia explanation of the Odd Fellow organization.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odd_Fellows  The answer to my question about them being the same as the Masons would be, they are similar organizations.

Here is the full page of the article which includes photos.  Richard Lindsay being second from the left.

Here is a transcription of the portion of the article about Richard Lindsay.  He was slated to become the Grand Patriarch.

“Reward Detroit Man – There is but little doubt of the re-election of Richard Lindsay, of Detroit to the highest office in the state organization, that of grand patriarch, to succeed Thomas Conlin of Crystal Falls, the present incumbent.  The election of the grand high priest to grand patriarch follows in the natural order of advancement of officers, this being the system adopted by the Grand Encampment in the election of its officers.  Mr. Lindsay is the present grand high priest.  He is a member of Western Lodge of Detroit, one of the strongest in the state.  He is a past grand of that lodge and past chief patriarch of Enterprise Encampment of Detroit.”

Did you have ancestors who belonged to organizations such as these?  I have many in my family who were members of Masonic Lodges and one family involved in Canadian Order of Foresters and Companions of Foresters, among others.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Jacob Cooper found dead from exposure–Dec 1827, New York

Jacob Cooper is my 4th great grandfather.  He died at age 33, from exposure, as stated in the article below.

The Geneva NY Palladium - 12 Dec 1827

Here is my transcription of the article:

Intoxication - A man named Jacob Cooper perished in Conquest, Cayuga county, N.Y. a few days since, from being exposed to the cold while intoxicated.  He had been at a husking frolic and was not able to reach his home.  His family did not go to seek him until the morning when they found him lifeless.

At this time, Jacob and his wife Mary “Polly” BYRNE Cooper had 6 children at home.  The oldest Lany was 12 (she is my 3rd great grandmother) and the youngest was Deborah Jane, an infant born that same year, 1827.  Imagine how difficult it must have been for this family.

 

I don’t have any records that tell me what Jacob did for a living.  However, a later probate record does reveal he owned some land.  I hope that was able to give some relief, financially, to the widow and her six children.

Mary did remarry four years later to Benjamin COSGROVE and they had 3 children together.

For more about Jacob’s daughter, my 3rd great grandmother, please read this post about my search for her parents.  I was so very happy to finally take this family back several more generations - MYSTERY MONDAY–Who’s Your Daddy? Brick Wall Post #6–Lany Cooper Thorp 1815-1886-SOLVED! 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Will a sprig of heather from South Africa bring victory to Richard Lindsay at the polls?

I will be writing a series of posts about my paternal great granduncle, Richard “Dick” Lindsay, throughout the year.  I heard a lot about him growing up, as we spent a lot of time with my grandmother, Marie W. Lindsay Gould, who was his niece.

To see my first post you can click here.

This article appeared in the Detroit Free Press on 10 Oct 1912.  It concerned by great granduncle’s run for City Clerk in Detroit.  He received an envelope containing a sprig of white heather.   White heather is considered a talisman of luck to a Scotchman.  The lucky heather had been sent, along with a note from his nephew.

HERE’S THE ARTICLE

Detroit Free Press, 10 Oct 1912, page 16

Here is my transcription

PERHAPS IT WILL BRING HIM VICTORY AT POLLS

Richard Lindsay Receives White Heather in Detroit from nephew in South Africa

Richard Lindsay, the Republican candidate for city clerk, is pretty certain that a letter he received Wednesday from Cape Town, South Africa, contained the limit in surprises.

When he opened the envelope something dropped out which Dick was surprised to find was a genuine white heather.

To the Scotchman, white heather is as great a talisman of luck as finding a horseshoe and along with the silent message it conveyed from that most unexpected corner of the world was a brief note from a nephew of Lindsay informaing him that he had just read a copy of The Detroit Free Press for which he paid 25 cents at Cape Town, informing him of the result of the August primaries in Detroit.

Did the heather bring Uncle Dick the victory? Stay tuned.

Who was the nephew in South Africa?  Seems I have research to conduct.

Stay tuned throughout the year as I continue to write about my Great Granduncle, Richard Lindsay, known to family as Uncle Dick.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

THOSE PLACES THURSDAY ~ Woodmere Cemetery, Detroit, Wayne, Michigan - the Lindsays

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ A Newspaper Query from 1971 for Susannah BOWEN, my maternal 4th great grandaunt (abt 1776-1834)

Today I’d like to share a newspaper article I located for my maternal 4th great grandaunt, Susannah Bowen.

 

Susannah is the daughter of my 5th great grandparents, Anthony BOWEN (my DAR patriot) and Alice HAMILTON.  She was one of 8 known children born to this couple.  She and her sister, Hannah both married men named Andrew Elliot BOGGS.  Imagine how confusing that was, when I began my research.

Here’s what I located on newspapers.com.  This query was placed in 1971, back before the internet.  Back when our family histories took a lot of ground work, letters along with newspaper and periodical queries in hopes of finding information.  I have total respect for those genealogists who came before us.  We still need to do the groundwork, in person, as well, but oh my, we have it so easy.

The Indianapolis Star had a column by Pearl Brenton, called HOOSIER ANCESTORS.  This column took up half of page 103 of the paper, except for a couple of large advertisements.

Here’s the whole page with the portion mentioning Susannah Bowen highlighted.  What I like about this column is that the author had all the surnames capitalized.

 

Kind of difficult to see the article when viewing the entire page.  So here it is cropped.

Now, here is my transcription of the query:

Q-0402 - Where in Henry County is burial place of Susannah (BOWEN) BOGGS who d. 5-4-1834?  Wife of Andrew BOGGS and mother of Jane Sharp who m. Joel LONG and settled in Kosciusko County.  Was also mother of Anthony Bowen BOGGS b 8-12-1795 Greenbrier County, Virginia, d 1873, Geyserville, Calif., m. Mary FRIEND 9-17-1816 Gallia County, Ohio?  Did Anthony own land and run saloon in Henry County?  Was he brother to Cynthia BOGGS b 10-26-1803, d 5-22-1857 near Leesburg, m. 10-25-1824 to James Hale in Jackson County, Ohio?  Will exchange - Mrs. Marilyn Schuelzky, 2530 North Lyon Street, Springfield, Mo 65803.

How valuable is this query?  Let’s evaluate the information contained in this one little short entry.

• We have a possible location of Susannah’s burial
• We have her date of death
• Her husband’s name
• The name of a daughter, Jane, and who Jane married and where they settled.
• Another child, Anthony is listed as well as his birth and death date and locations,
• Who Anthony married, when and where
• Reference to a business that Anthony may have owned in Henry County
• Question regarding a possible sister, Cynthia Boggs with her birth & death date and who she married and where

Holy cow!!!  I don’t know about you, but I’m excited.  This is a lot of information that can be followed up and verified.

Some of the information I already have, but not all of it.  I’m looking forward to following the leads from this article.  I can’t enter the data in my tree until I VERIFY all of it.  But, I have wonderful leads to follow.

I wonder if Marilyn Schuelzky of Springfield, Missouri ever got any responses to her query?

I LOVE newspapers.  How about you?  What have you found lately that can help you in your research?

A link to my other Ancestors in the News posts is here

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Gordon Charles Hall–my father-in-law, makes news in high school–San Diego, CA., 1935

If you read my blog regularly, you will know that newspapers are a favorite source of information for me.  They cover everything from births to deaths and all the happenings in between.  You can fill in that dash in someone’s life by finding them in newspapers.

 

Gordon Charles Hall is my father-in-law, now deceased.  Naturally, I’ve written about my husband’s parents before.  You can read about their marriage here CHURCH RECORD SUNDAY–Gordon & Dorothy Hall and their burial here THOSE PLACES THURSDAY ~ Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery–San Diego, California.

Today I decided to conduct a search of Genealogy Bank, since they contain many editions and years of the San Diego Union and Tribune.  I am usually searching for marriage announcements or obituaries.  But, today, I decided to see if my husband’s father, who was born, lived and died in San Diego, California, had been mentioned at other times in his life.

BINGO!  Here’s what I found.

Gordon & other boys were given the opportunity to “rule” San Diego government for a day.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Published in the San Diego Union, 20 Dec 1934, page 7

An article published in January shows a photo of Gordon Hall sitting at a table with other boys.  This group was appointed as the Board of Education for a day.

Published in the San Diego Union, 6 Jan 1935, page 5

Here's the news article associated with the photo above.

Gordon attended San Diego High School and would have been 17 at the time this occurred, probably a Senior.  I expect it was a fun day for all the boys.

Little did Gordon know, at the time, that his son, born 15 years later, would spend a career working for the City of San Diego.

 

What fun newspaper articles have you located for your ancestors?  I’d love to hear about them.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2020   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Isaac D. Hart takes Bay City Traction Co., to court for damages - Michigan 1905

Today I was looking more closely at Isaac Doten Hart, the oldest child of my 3rd great grandparents, Henry Hart and Olive Doten.  It’s through Olive’s line, the Doten’s, that I hope to be accepted into the Mayflower Society.

Isaac Doten Hart is my 2nd great granduncle.  He was born 18 Mar 1834, probably in Canada.  He married Eliza Maria Richards on 20 Apr 1860 in Lapeer, Lapeer Co., Michigan.  They had one child, a son, Ellis.
 
I was searching for an obituary for Isaac when I came across a couple of other interesting tidbits.  I enjoy finding newspaper articles about my ancestors that tell me more about their daily lives.
 
In this case, Isaac D. Hart was struck by a street car and thrown from his rig, while delivery butter & eggs in his “wagon.”  The incident took place on 13 Jul 1905 in Bay City, Michigan while he was crossing Columbus Street.  He was not badly injured, but did sustain bruises.

Article 1 – Isaac Hart Dumped out of His Wagon

Bay City Daily Tribune, 14 Jul 1905, page 5

Article 2 – Says he want $2,000 in damages

Bay City Times, 31 Jul 1905, page 4

Article 3 – The case goes to trial and now the damages are $2,500

Bay City Times, 11 Oct 1905, page 3

Article 4 – The jury decides on $50 - I'm sure, a disappointment to the plaintiff, Isaac

Bay City Times, 13 Oct 1905, page 1

I’m happy that no one was seriously injured in this mishap.  I’ve certainly learned that taking people or companies to court is nothing new.  It’s been happening for centuries and usually makes for interesting reading.

Have you found newspaper articles or other references to your ancestors going to court?  I’d love to hear about them.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

WHAT I NEVER KNEW ABOUT COURTHOUSE RECORDS

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Betty Eleanor Bright, only 15 yrs old, dies in car accident

Betty Eleanor Bright was born on New Year’s Day 1919 in Latrobe, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania.  Her parents are John W. Bright (1882-1967) and Nellie Dallas (1883-1971).  She had one sibling, an older brother named William E. Bright.

Three young people were killed in this car accident.  Betty, age 15,  a 23 year old named Clarence Greeawalt and Howard Foster, age 21.
 

Here is the news article about the accident

Pittsburgh Post Gazette - 22 Jun 1934, page 17

Here is my transcription of the article

Front page, Section 2, column 5
GIRL, TWO YOUTHS KILLED IN CRASH
Titusville Party Wiped Out on Speed Ride
Special to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
OIL CITY, Pa - June 21 - Warning against excessive speed on Venango county highways came from Coroner J. Irwin Zerbe and state police today, following fatal injury to three Titusville young people early today on Titusville-Oil City road, near McKinney Memorial spring.
The dead are Clarence Greenawalt, 23, near Titusville, who died before reaching Oil City Hospital; Betty Bright, 15, Titusville sophomore, and Howard Foster, 21, who died seven hours after the accident happened of a fractured skull.  Greenawalt's neck was broken.
The automobile driven by George W. Hinske of Oil City, en route toward Oil City, had almost come to a stop when the Titusville car, traveling 60 miles an hour or faster, bore down upon him and his wife.  He pulled partly off the highway.
The Foster car hit it a terrific side blow, pushing the radiator against the engine.  Mr. and Mrs. Hinske escaped with bruises.

How sad for the families of these three young people.
 
Betty was laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery.  You may visit her memorial here #25967355.

If you are related to anyone mentioned in this post or have a comment or correction, please contact me.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Detroit PD - Sgt. William Hayes Confiscates Weapons - 1924

Detroit Free Press, 2 Jan 1924, page 5

I always enjoy newspaper articles featuring family members.  The newspapers of yesteryear were the social media hubs for our ancestors.  From wedding, birth and death announcements to social gatherings and out of town visits.  The newspapers covered many events.

This particular article is about the confiscation of weapons during the first hour of 1924, in Detroit, Michigan. Sgt. Hayes was married to my 1st cousin twice removed, Mabel Catherine Thorpe.

Here’s what it says:

Roundup of Suspicious Persons is Made New Year’s Morning
Twenty-on revolvers, a shot gun and 500 rounds of ammunition were seized by police of the first precinct during the first hour of 1924.  The firearms were taken in a general roundup of persons with suspicious bulges in their clothes at points where the bulges would not ordinarily indicate hip flasks or quart bottles.
The first prisoner to be taken in 1924 was Edison Green, 22 years old. When halted on Gratiot Avenue he was found to have a revolver up his sleeve, held in place by a rubber band.  He was charged with carrying concealed weapons.
The guns were confiscated by Lieutenant Charles Wiggle, and Sergeants William Hayes, George Ludwig and William Maloney.

I wondered what else was going on in Detroit on January 2, 1924.  The cost of the paper was 3 cents, the weather was cloudy and the top headline is about a Rich Oil Man being Shot.

Here’s the front page from that day. 
(Click on any image to enlarge it)
 

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS - Patrolman William Patrick Hayes Discovers Huge Warehouse Fire – 1907


You can see all my Ancestors in the News Posts here.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2019   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Gillen & Brother furniture business 1850’s-1860’s Ohio

Today I located several references to Gillen & Brother furniture business on Newspapers.com.  The business is also called Gillen Brother in some of the ads.

These ads were taken out in the Spirit of the Times newspaper in Ironton, Lawrence County, Ohio.  This is consistent with where by Gillens lived during that time.

Martin Gillen is my maternal 3rd great granduncle, son of William Gillen & Rachel Frampton.

I know that Martin Gillen (1811-1879) was enumerated as a Furniture Dealer in the 1870 census.  He and his wife Sarah were living in Ironton, Ohio at that time.  Going back to the previous census records; in 1850 Martin & his wife Sarah were living in Upper Township, Lawrence Co., Ohio.  Sadly, his occupation is not listed on that census.  In the 1860 census in Ironton, Lawrence Co., Ohio, Martin is enumerated as a Furniture Merchant.

Ad from Feb 1853

Ad from Sep1853

Although I don’t see the name of the owner of the Gillen & Brother furniture business in the ads, I am concluding that it was Martin.  Ironton wasn’t that big during those years. 
The question is, was he in business with one of his brothers or not?

• John, his older brother (1804-1880) was always listed as a Farmer.
• Isaac F., his younger brother (1823-1907) was also listed as a Farmer in 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880.
• That leaves Martin’s younger brother Capt. Elijah Fisher Gillen (1822-1896). In 1850 Elijah is listed as a Merchant (what kind of merchant?).  The 1860 census lists him as a Clerk and he’s living in Ironton, Ohio.  In 1870 no occupation is listed and in 1880, Elijah is listed as a Bookkeeper.

Conclusion:  It’s possible that Martin was in business or associated with his brother, Elijah, at some point.  I need to locate business licenses or other newspaper articles that would shed some light on this question.

Martin’s obituary does say he was in the furniture business and retired from it 10 years prior to his death in 1879.

I’d love to hear from you if you are connected to this family.  Or, if you have any further information on the articles I’ve mentioned or the Gillen Furniture Business in Ironton.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ANCESTORS IN THE NEWS ~ Patrolman William Patrick Hayes Discovers Huge Warehouse Fire–Detroit Free Press - 1907

• Newspapers are one of my favorite resources for finding out information about my family.  It’s not just the engagement, marriage announcements and obituaries that can be of interest.
• Today many of us use social media, email or texts to share with one another.  However, before those technological advances, there were newspapers.  They were the gossip columns and information disseminators of their day.
• Did someone leave on vacation or go on a trip to visit family, did they hold a party or for the ladies, perhaps a tea?  You may read about it in the newspaper.  Those are the items that fill out our ancestors lives with every day activities.

What have I located today? An article in the Detroit Free Press in December 1907 about a large, destructive warehouse fire.  The fire was discovered by the husband of my 1st cousin, twice removed, William Patrick Hayes (1884-1949).  He was a Detroit Police Lieutenant upon his retirement in 1933.  At the time of this event he was a rookie patrolman.

It seems a warehouse located at Woodward & Jefferson Avenues, caught fire in the early morning hours.  The contents of the building were a complete loss.  Estimated damages were $250,000.  That equates to $6,403,214 in 2018.  A whole LOT of money.  Once I read the story it became obvious why the contents were worth so much.  The warehouse was full of furs.

Here’s the newspaper clippings from the Detroit Free Press and below is my transcription of one of the articles.  In the original article Pipeman, Robert Hummel was said to probably recover after his injury.  However, in an article published the next day, it states that Fireman Hummel “may die.”  I did a search of the Detroit papers for the following few weeks after the incident and found nothing further on Mr. Hummel.


Here’s my transcription of the article:

Originating in Defective Wiring, Blaze Quickly Spreads Through Entire Building and Nothing is Left but the Walls
Two firemen were hurt and damage aggregating perhaps $250,000 was caused by a blaze which swept the wholesale store of Edwin S. George, furrier, at Woodward and Jefferson avenues, early this morning.

The interior of the building was thoroughly burned out, and the entire stock of furs incinerated. Only the walls of the structure itself, still stand.
D.E. Kellogg & Company, wholesale milliners, who occupy the first floor of the building, also were heavy sufferers. Their entire stock was destroyed. No estimate of their loss could be obtained this morning.

It is said that both Edwin S. George and D.E. Kellogg & Company are well protected by insurance. The building, the los on which will be heavy, as it is almost valueless now, is also said to be insured.

The blaze was first noticed at 2:40 o’clock this morning, by Patrolman William Hayes, who saw smoke issuing from the basement on the Jefferson avenue front of the building. Others saw the smoke about the same time, and three alarms were turned in almost simultaneously. Soon after the firemen arrived a third alarm was sent in, and almost all available fire-fighting force of the city was put to work, including both the fire boats.

The blaze which apparently started in the basement, presumably from a defective electric wire, soon gained access to the elevator shaft, on the southeast corner. Up the shaft it roared, and by the time the first stream of water was directed upon it, it had reached the upper floors, and was making sad havoc with the rich stock of furs stored there.

Engine after engine and company after company of firemen arrived and hastily went into position. Thousands of gallons of water were thrown every minute upon the blaze, but for a long time it had no apparent effect.

Indeed, at first the flames seemed to thrive on it. In spite of the fire-fighter’s efforts, the blaze gained headway, and soon it broke forth from the fifth, the top floor. For two hours it roared steadily, leaping from the windows and roof. One by one the floors fell in, and the and the flames, given freer access, leaped higher.

Flames Under Control
By 4 o’clock the blaze, though still burning steadily, was under control. Nothing was left of the building but the walls, and though it seemed likely they would fall every minute, they stood and the firemen standing almost under them and directing the great streams of water upward seemed unconscious of their danger.

Two Firemen Hurt
Shortly after the fire started a hose nozzle on Jefferson avenue got away from the men who were handling it. In its writhings it knocked another loose. Chief George J. Kelly, of battalion No. 5 and Robert Hummel, pipeman of engine company No. 6, were knocked down and injured.

Hummel was the more seriously hurt. In his fall his head struck the curb, and it is believed his skull was fractured. He was carried into Waldorf hotel, nearby, and when the Detroit ambulance arrived he and the chief were taken to St. Mary’s hospital.
The physicians at the hospital trephined Hummel’s skull in the hope of relieving the pressure on his brain. Immediately after the operation it was said he probably will recover.

Chief Kelly Hurt Twice
Chief Kelly suffered only severe bruises. He was hurt twice last night. Besides being knocked down by the hose at the fire, he was thrown from his buggy on his way. He was driving his horse furiously down Michigan avenue, and at Abbott street one wheel of the buggy caught in a cartrack, and the rig was turned over.

The Chief was thrown out, but when passersby rushed to him and picked him up he said he was not much hurt, and after a vain attempt to find his horse, which had galloped on, he proceeded to the fire. There he was injured again.

I enjoy reading any newspaper article that mentions my ancestors.  In this case, I am actually in contact with descendants of Patrolman William Patrick Hayes.  We matched up via DNA, as his wife Mabel Catherine Thorpe is the granddaughter of my 2nd great grandparents, Horace Henry Thorp and Catherine C. Dorsey.  We are currently exchanging pictures and stories.

To read other posts about Ancestors In The News – please click on here.

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2018   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION